The architect and designer Marcel Breuer was one the 20th century’s most influential and innovative adherents of modernism. A member of the Bauhaus faculty, Breuer — like such colleagues as the architects Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and the artists and art theoreticians László Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers — left Europe in the 1930s to champion the new design philosophy and its practice in the United States.
Born in Hungary, Breuer became a Bauhaus student in 1920 and quickly impressed Gropius, the German school’s founder, with his aptitude for furniture design. His early work was influenced by the minimalist Dutch design movement De Stijl — in particular the work of architect Gerrit Rietveld.
In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus furniture workshop, Breuer realized his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s attention gradually shifted from design to architecture, and, at the urging of Gropius, he joined his mentor in 1937 on the faculty of Harvard and in an architectural practice.
In the 1940s, Breuer opened his own architectural office, and there his style evolved from geometric, glass-walled structures toward a kind of hybrid architecture — seen in numerous Breuer houses in New England — that pairs bases of local fieldstone with sleek, wood-framed modernist upper floors. In his later, larger commissions, Breuer worked chiefly with reinforced concrete and stone, as seen in his best-known design, the brutalist inverted ziggurat built in New York in 1966 as the home of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Breuer’s most famous furniture pieces are those made of tubular steel, which include the Wassily chair — named after Wassily Kandinsky and recognizable for its leather-strap seating supports — and the caned Cesca chair.
Breuer also made several notable designs in molded plywood, including a chaise and nesting table for the British firm Isokon and a student furniture suite commissioned in 1938 for a dormitory at Bryn Mawr College. Whether in metal or wood, Breuer’s design objects are elegant and adaptable examples of classic modernist design — useful and appropriate in any environment.
Find vintage Marcel Breuer seating, storage cabinets and lighting on 1stDibs.
Marcel Breuer Art Deco Table Lamps, Nickel-Plated Brass, Hungary, 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Made of nickel-plated brass, this design was created for the Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925. Impressed manufacturer's mark to base of each examp...
Brass, Nickel
H 41.74 in W 5.91 in D 20.48 in
Nickel-Plated Art Deco Clamp Lamp, Vienna, Around 1920s
Located in Wien, Au
Nickel-plated Art Deco clamp lamp, Vienna, around 1920s Metal, nickel plated Original condition.
Metal, Nickel
H 8.67 in Dm 5.91 in
Art Deco Period Nickel Platreed Brass Table Lamp
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A stylish Art Deco table lamp from the French Art Deco period. The foot and lid are made of nickel-plated brass. Lamp shade is made of clear frosted molded glass shade with floral mo...
Brass
H 6.3 in Dm 7.88 in
Art Deco Bronze Table Lamp circa 1925
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Art Deco bronze table lamp circa 1925.
Metal, Bronze
H 8.08 in W 6.89 in D 6.7 in
French Art Deco Brass Nickel Plates Banker Table Desk Lamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Brass nickel plated desk light / banker’s lamp 2,5 meter black cotton flex, plug and switch in base Base size 112×112 mm / 4.41× 4.41 inches B22 bulb holder Available with US/UK p...
Nickel, Brass
H 16.15 in Dm 6.7 in
2 Art Deco Nickel, Plated Table Lamps with Fabric Shades, Vienna, Around 1920s
Located in Wien, Au
2 Art deco nickel - plated table lamps with fabric shades, Vienna, around 1920s Brass nickel - plated. The fabric shades are replaced (new).
Nickel
H 22.05 in W 5.12 in D 9.45 in
Pair of Marcel Breuer Art Deco Architectural Lamps, Paris Exposition
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Zagreb, HR
Pair of the architectural table lamps based on the design by Marcel Breuer for the The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, held in Paris, Fran...
Bronze, Nickel
H 10.63 in Dm 5.12 in
French Art Deco Frosted Glass and Nickel-Plated Brass Table Lamp, 1930s
By Gauthier
Located in Barntrup, DE
A charming French Art Deco table lamp from the 1930s, featuring geometric frosted glass, complemented by a decorative nickel-plated brass base. An ideal accent for collectors and int...
Brass, Nickel
H 12.6 in Dm 7.09 in
Nickel-Plated Brass Table Lamp with Beautiful Glass
Located in Wien, Au
Nickel-plated brass table lamp with beautiful glass. Original condition
Brass, Nickel
H 36.25 in Dm 7.25 in
Art Deco Nickel Plated and Glass Rod Skyscraper Table Lamp
Located in Atlanta, GA
Art Deco Nickel Plated and Glass Rod Skyscraper Table Lamp, probably American, circa 1930's. It measures 36.25" height to the top of the shade, 18.5" height to the top of the glass r...
Nickel
H 15.76 in W 15.76 in D 12.2 in
Art Deco Adjustable Counterweight Table Lamp Brass Nickel, France, circa 1935
Located in Vienna, AT
Nickeled counter-balance table lamp unattributed in very good condition, France, circa 1935 Fine desk lamp in the style of Jacques Adnet with a solide movable counterweight and very...
Brass, Nickel
H 27.1 in W 11.8 in D 11.8 in
French Art Deco Table Lamp, Nickel-Plated Bronze, 1930s
Located in PARIS, FR
A refined French Art Deco table lamp from the 1930s, embodying a restrained modernist aesthetic and strong architectural presence. The base is crafted in nickel-plated bronze, risin...
Bronze, Nickel
H 20 in W 8.5 in D 6 in
Pair of American Art Deco Brushed Nickel-Plated Lamps
Located in San Francisco, CA
A stylish pair of American Art Deco brushed nickel-plated lamps with dolphin support; each with spheroid body flanked by shell-form handles raised on a lively dolphin support over a ...
H 20.48 in W 6.7 in D 8.27 in
Modernist Table Lamp by Marcel Breuer, France, 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Roma, IT
Modernist Table Lamp, model exhibited “Exposition Marcel Breuer, Paris 1925”. Golden brass. A striking and highly architectural table lamp in polished brass, attributed to Marcel Br...
Bronze
H 20 in W 8.5 in D 9 in
Pair of Marcel Breuer Art Deco Architectural Lamps
By Marcel Breuer
Located in LA, CA
Sharp and sophisticated, with linear forms and a brilliant chrome finish, these Bauhaus style vintage table lamps are sure to illuminate your mind and your desk! Exceptionally well...
Bronze, Nickel
H 11.42 in W 10.24 in D 5.91 in
Brass Bauhaus Art Deco lamp by Marcel Breuer, Paris exposition 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Zaandam, NL
Wonderfull large brass desk lamp by Marcel Breuer for the 1925 Paris exposition, stamped. We believe this is to be a later edition ca 1980s. The lamp is fitted for a general E27. The...
Brass
H 19.3 in W 11.03 in D 5.12 in
Brass Bauhaus Art Deco lamp by Marcel Breuer, Paris exposition 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Zaandam, NL
Wonderfull large brass desk lamp by Marcel Breuer for the 1925 Paris exposition, stamped and marked underneath the base. we believe this is to be a later edition ca 1980s. The lamp i...
Brass
H 21.5 in W 12.25 in D 5.88 in
Antique Art Deco Brass Table Lamp by Marcel Breuer for 1925 Paris Exposition
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Detroit, MI
This antique Art Deco brass table lamp by Marcel Breuer is dated from 1925. This exceptional and historical lamp was designed by famed German Bauhaus architect and designer Marcel Br...
Brass, Nickel
H 21 in W 6 in D 12 in
Art Deco Bauhaus Stand Lamp by Marcel Breuer, 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Art Deco Bauhaus Stand Lamp by Marcel Breuer, 1925 Designed by Marcel Breuer for the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, in Paris of 1925 Made in Europ...
Brass
H 17.25 in W 8.25 in D 5.25 in
Art Deco Bauhaus Stand Lamp by Marcel Breuer, 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Art Deco Bauhaus Stand Lamp by Marcel Breuer, 1925 Designed by Marcel Breuer for the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, in Paris of 1925 Made in Europe...
Brass
H 21.5 in W 4.5 in D 12 in
Marcel Breuer Articulating Table Lamp
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Bauhaus Articulating desk lamp by Marcel Breuer. Originally designed for the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, in Paris 1925, number 43 of 100. Artic...
Metal
H 21.5 in W 6 in D 12 in
Pair of Art Deco Bauhaus Table Lamps in Brass by Marcel Breuer, Exposition 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Pair of Art Deco Bauhaus Table Lamps in Brass by Marcel Breuer, Exposition 1925 Designed by Marcel Breuer for the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, ...
Brass
H 16.375 in W 5.125 in D 8 in
Marcel Breuer, Table Lamp, Brass, Hungary, 1925
By Marcel Breuer
Located in High Point, NC
A brass table lamp designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925, present example produced in Hungary, c. 1980s. Dramatic oxidation present to brass. Dimensions of Lamp (inches): 16.375“ H x ...
Brass
H 22.05 in W 5.12 in D 9.45 in
Pair of Marcel Breuer Bauhaus Table Lamps for the Paris Exhibition 1925, France
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Zagreb, HR
Pair of the iconic architectural table lamps designed by Marcel Breuer for the The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, held in Paris, France, ...
Bronze, Nickel
H 16.54 in W 7.88 in D 5.12 in
Brass Table Lamp by Marcel Breuer, 1925, Marked
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Milano, IT
Marcel Breuer was one of the biggest names in the design history. His works are still best sellers nowadays and this lamp is a clear example of his exceptional avant-garde approach....
Brass